Giovanni II Ventimiglia, 6th Marquis of Geraci

Giovanni II Ventimiglia y Moncada, 6th Marquis of Geraci, 6th Marquis since 1545, deceased 1553, was the grandfather of another Giovanni Ventimiglia, erroneously described till now in the lists of Viceroys of Sicily as Giovanni II, but who perhaps should be better described as Giovanni III Ventimiglia e Ventimiglia, (1559–1619), who was President of Sicily Kingdom, 1595, 1598 and 1608, from the noble Sicilian House of Ventimiglia family.

Coat of Arms of Ventimiglia di Geraci.

Two centuries of successions

The 6th Marquis, Giovanni II Ventimiglia y Moncada, was the son of Simone I Ventimiglia, 5th Marquis of Geraci, (1485–1544), who had married Isabella Moncada, from the Counts of Aderno

He was, since 1527, the husband of powerful Spanish- Sicilian noble woman Isabel de Moncada y La Grua, niece of Hugo of Moncada, (Viceroy of Sicily and Viceroy of Naples), and daughter of Hugo's brother, Juan de Moncada y de Tolça, 3rd Count of Marmilia and 1st Count of Aitona.

The Aragonese Crown Marquisate of Geraci

The title of Marquis of Geraci was awarded in 1436 to the 7th Count of Geraci, Giovanni I Ventimiglia, 1st Marquis of Geraci, by the Aragonese Crown, ruling in Sicily since the Sicilian Vespers, 1282. Date in which they were called to push out the French Angevin rulers, imposed after 1266 by the Roman Catholic Pope capricious favors, on the Sicilian people, a former Norman descendants kingdom since about 1130.

Giovanni I Ventimiglia (1383–1475), eighth count of Geraci (from 1405); Marquess of Geraci from 1436; also Lord of Castelbuono, Tusa, Gangi, San Mauro (San Mauro Castelverde), Pollina, Caronia (from 1412), Cefalù, Sciacca, Termini Imerese, Count of Montesarchio, Bitonto, Casamassima, Serracapriola, Castellamare di Stabia, Orta Nova and Magliano, Baron of Ciminna..., Grande Ammiraglio del Regno (Grand Admiral of Sicily Kingdom), Viceré di Sicilia, (Viceroy of Sicily), 1430–1432, Governatore del Regno di Napoli (Governor of Naples Kingdom), 1435, Viceroy of Duchy Athens and Neopatria, 1444, Regent of Naples Kingdom, 1460, Captain General of the Church, 1445 and 1455.

Giovanni had married twice: (1) Agata d'Aragona dei Baroni di Caccamo, (2) Isabella Ventimiglia dei Signori di Ciminna, with issue.

The Aragonese Crown title of 3rd Marquis of Geraci

This is a short resume, after the year 1480, year of the death of:

1).- Antonio I Ventimiglia, 2nd Marquis of Geraci, a.k.a. Antonio Ventimiglia y de Aragon, 2nd Marquis since 1475, Grand Admiral and General Captain of Sicily, deceased 1480, who had married in 1444 to Margherita Guilhem de Clermont-Lodève, sister in law of Ferdinand I of Naples and one of the daughters of Tristan de Clermont, the powerful and influential Count of Copertino and Matera.

1.1) and 1.2).-: From 1480 to 1490 the 3rd Marquisate of Geraci was held by a "Ventimiglia - Chiaromonte" male, namely, Enrico IV Ventimiglia, 3rd Marquis of Geraci, deceased in 1493, a.k.a. Enrico IV Ventimiglia y Chiaromonte.

In 1480, while being under the age of 36 by then, he got married with a powerful and with long links with the Aragonese Crown, a "Luna" family woman, an influential Spanish family in Sicily, going back to the 14th century at least, Eleonora de Luna and with deep dynastic connections with the Aragonese Royalty, since no less than the 14th century.

From this marriage, there was as an issue to the title on Filippo Ventimiglia, 4th Marquis of Geraci, a.k.a. Filippo Ventimiglia y Luna, born after 1480, successor to the Marquisate in 1490 as a child, but deceased however in 1497, aged 16 or 17 at the most.

Then, it was the turn to be 5th Marquis of Geraci, to his brother Simone I Ventimiglia, 5th Marquis of Geraci, (1485 - 5th Marquis after 1497 as a very young teenager - 1544), a.k.a. Simone Ventimiglia y Luna, deceased 1544, aged around 59. Simone Ventimiglia was President of Sicily Kingdom (1516, 1535, 1541) and Deputato del Regno di Sicilia (Treasurer and Comptroller General of Sicily Kingdom, 1522-1534).

Simone I Ventimiglia y Luna (1485–1544), 5th Marchese di Geraci, married Isabella Moncada, from the Counts of Aderno, and the eldest surviving male son was just Giovanni II Ventimiglia, 6th Marquis of Geraci, deceased 1553, a.k.a. Giovanni II Ventimiglia y Moncada.

Therefore, Giovanni II who inherited the title at the death of his father Simone, deceased 1544, and who died in 1553, some 8–9 years later, depending on his acknowledged date on inheritance to the 6th Marquisate, must have had his succession recognized under the leadership of his natural Lord, king Charles I of Spain, a.k.a. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, having issue with another "Moncada" woman, but this time, from Aitona or Aytona, near Lleida, Catalonia, Spain. Giovanni II Ventimiglia was Deputato del Regno di Sicilia (1544-1547).

The Sicilian town of Geraci

The town of Geraci is located in the province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy.

The (Ventimiglia - La Grua - Moncada) families

Let us explain first the family relations between the Spanish "Moncada" political leaders in the kingdoms of Naples and in Sicily at the early 16th century and the important Sicilian-Calabrese family associated to the House of Ventimiglia, interconnecting with the Palermo based "La Grua" military family:

Hugo of Moncada y de Tolça, (1476 - Naval battle at the Gulf of Salerno, Italy, 28 May 1528), Viceroy of Sicily, 1509–1517, Viceroy of Naples, 1527–1528, was a young brother of Juan de Moncada y de Tolça, 1st count of Aitona.

The family crest of the Aitona Sicilian-Spanish Marquisses, known as "Moncada"´s with the Marquisate Crown, promoted to Counts in the region of Catalunya, Lleida, in 1532 by King Charles I of Spain, a.k.a. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, later promoted to the Marquisate of Aitona by king Philip II of Spain in October 1581, awarded to the 2nd count of Aitona, Francisco de Moncada y de Cardona, deceased 1594

.

Benedictine monk Maurolico, as his father, and also as was later on Genius of Science Isaac Newton in England, was the head of the Messina mint and for a time was in charge of maintaining the fortifications of the city on behalf of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He tutored the two sons of king Charles' bureaucrat, viceroy of Sicily, 1547 - 1557, Juan de Vega, and had the patronage of many rich and powerful men. He also corresponded with scholars such as Clavius and Federico Commandino. Between 1548 and 1550, Maurolico stayed at the castle of Pollina in Sicily as a guest of the marquis Giovanni II Ventimiglia, 6th Marquis of Geraci, and utilized the castle tower in order to carry out astronomical observations. Maurolico's astronomical observations include a sighting of the supernova that appeared in Cassiopeia in 1572. Tycho Brahe published details of his observations in 1574; the supernova is now known as Tycho's Supernova. In 1569, he was appointed professor at the University of Messina

The title of Count of Aitona was modified to Marquisate by king Philip II of Spain on 1 October 1581 on behalf of Francisco de Moncada y de Cardona, Count of Ossona, Viscount of Cabrera, Viscount of Bas, Viceroy of Catalonia, 1580–1581, deceased 1594.

Giovanni II Ventimiglia, son in law of Juan de Moncada y de Tolça, 1st count of Aitona, in 1532, deceased after 1536, brother in law of Francisco de Moncada y de Cardona, deceased 1594, was a keen supporter of the mathematical sciences, besides being twice also Viceroy of Sicily, 1595–1598 and 1606–1607. He supported the efforts of scientist Francesco Maurolico, (1494–1575), see above.

Castle of Castelbuono, province of Palermo, Sicily, a fief of the House of Ventimiglia family, now with some 10,000 inhabitants, near the sea. Construction of the Castle began in 1316, by order of Count Francesco I of Ventimiglia, over the ruins of the ancient Byzantine town of Ypsigro, high on the San Pietro hill

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